6 Tips for Making the Most of LinkedIn in 5 Minutes

6 Tips for Making the Most of LinkedIn in 5 Minutes6 Tips for Making the Most of LinkedIn in 5 MinutesLove it or loathe it, LinkedIn is one of the fruchtwein powerful networking platformsfor many job seekers, andone of the most widely used tools among hiring managers and recruiters for finding and vetting top talent.In fact, one survey found that a whopping 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn as part of their recruiting process.So, needless to say, your LinkedIn profile and activity can play a pretty major role in your job search.The good news is, there are plenty of things you can do in even just five minutes to improve your profile, expand your network, and generally start making the most of LinkedIn.Here are six tips for making the most of LinkedIn1. Get social. In the Fast Company piece, If You Can Only Spare 15 Minutes a Week for LinkedIn, Do This, its recommended for users to get social. How? Start by liking peoples posts who are in your industry (or who youd like to make a connecti on with), or offer advice or tips to others. You can even endorse peoples skills- just make sure you really know the person and can vouch for what youre praising- then hope that the lovefest is requited for your profile, too.2. Update your photo. Recently got new headshots? Post an up-to-date and professional photo that represents the current you- not the you from 15 years ago.For more tips on how to choose the right photo, check out this post3. Share. Show off your expertise by sharing interesting information you come across. Remember that these articles or studies should relate to your industry or professional interest. (So no, were not suggesting you share the latest viral video of dancing dogs.) Be sure to include a quick write-up of why youre sharing it, why its important, and/or any opinions you have on it, and youll slowly but surely start building some LinkedIn cred.4. Update, and edit, edit, edit.Sure, you filled out all the sections in your LinkedIn profile, but when was t he last time you actually looked at it? At this point, some of the info you have on your profile is sure to be out of date, so take a fiver and go through each section. Remove any mistakes, like misspellings, an incorrect name, and links that no longer work. Make sure that your profile is up-to-date, neat and tidy, since its a real representation of you and your work. Plus, some employers compare your resume and your LinkedIn profile. You want to make sure that they match. Remember, sloppy is as sloppy does.5. Write away. LinkedIns blogging platform allows every user the ability to write about whats on their mind. But if youre thinking, Im not a writer, that doesnt matter. You need to take advantage of this great feature, and keep in mind that you dont have to pen the next great American novel. Five minutes. Youcan easily write a blog post in five minutes, if its about something youre passionate about. It can be short and sweet, and once you get used to writing (and get positive fee dback for your thoughts and ideas) youll likely want to write more.6. Follow, and unfollow.Be strategic and smart about who you connect with on LinkedIn.Its important to remember that LinkedIn isnt like other social media sites, where having 1,648 friends (or in this case, connections) makes you the cool kid. Having random connections with even more random people can weaken your brand. And yes, you are your own brand, no matter what industry youre in. Dont feel guilty about decliningrequests from people who have nothing in connection with you or who might not be in your best branding interest.Even if you think that you are totally maxed out time-wise, you definitely have five minutes to spare to spruce up your LinkedIn profile Make those 300 seconds count, and youll soon reap the remote job rewardsDont forget to join the Job Search Group on LinkedIn for more helpful job search info like this